Atiku urges FG to dialogue with Adamawa, Borno, Yobe

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Friday spoke on the insecurity in the country, saying that there is need for the Federal Government to engage aggrieved parties in dialogue while taking decisive measures to protect innocent people.

He, however, said the current emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa State does not foreclose the immediate need for dialogue in that zone and other places.

His words: “That is why the government must do all that is necessary in a democratic society to protect lives and property. Thus, there is the need to engage aggrieved groups in dialogue while taking decisive security measures to protect innocent people. I hope that the current emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States does not obviate the urgent need for such dialogue in that zone and elsewhere.”

Atiku spoke as the Special Guest of Honour at the 4th District Conference 2013 of the Rotary International in Abuja. The theme of the conference was “Creating a Culture of Peace through Service.”

He attributed the insecurity in the country to unemployment, poverty and growing rate of corrupt practices.

The ex-Vice President said: “Whatever the immediate causes of these conflicts and insecurity, there is no doubt that the high level of unemployment, poverty and accompanying alienation, especially of our young people, have provided veritable recruiting grounds for these insurgencies and other forms of criminality.

“And these are taking place within the context of a collapsed educational system, poor investment climate, less than mediocre governance and increasing corruption.”

Atiku noted that hardly a day goes by without fresh slaughter of fellow citizens in one part of the country or the other due to robbery, kidnapping and violent insurgencies in the north.

He said that there are struggles between Muslims and Christians, herdsmen and farmers even as security operatives on rescue mission have been accused of atrocities against civilians.

He noted that wave of insecurity has badly hurt the economies of Borno, Yobe , Plateau, Adamawa and Kaduna States .

dialogue .why only Adamawa, Borno, Yobe? dialogue should be national. north and south.

Slolo7

Please, always count the South West out of your southern permutation when fighting the North. We have been marginalized by the Jonathan administration and so we are NOT and can never be part of your IMAGINARY SOUTH

atiku abubakar is very wrong!dialogue with governors who took the insecurity in their States for granted for a very long time bf emergency rule was declared?atiku shld wake up.

Sunny Akhigbe

Thank you very much sir! You have not said any thing new. It is robotic repetition of time-worn reasons why we have insecurity now, although not everyone agrees with those reasons. What is perhaps new is your reference to “less than mediocre governance” as partly responsible for the mess we are today. I agree with you but you are not the right person to say that. Mediocre governance did not just start today. You were a vice president for eight years and there is no evidence that you elevated governance beyond what it is today. On “collapsed educational system” you have a big share too. Majority of past Nigerian leaders destroyed the educational system and on leaving office established expensive schools with “high standard”. Nigerians are no fools sir!